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Friday, February 15, 2008 (No. 52)

Orders of the Day

Government Orders

Business of Supply

October 16, 2007 — The President of the Treasury Board — Consideration of the Business of Supply.

Supply period ending March 26, 2008 — maximum of 7 allotted days, pursuant to Standing Order 81(10)(a).

Days to be allotted — 7 days in current period.

Opposition Motions

October 23, 2007 — — That the Standing Committee on Procedure and House Affairs be directed to investigate the actions of the Conservative Party of Canada during the 2006 election, in relation to which Elections Canada has refused to reimburse Conservative candidates for illegitimate election campaign expenses.

October 23, 2007 — — That, notwithstanding any Standing Order or usual practice, Bill C-2, An Act to amend the Criminal Code and to make consequential amendments to other Acts, be deemed to have been read a second time and referred to the Standing Committee on Justice and Human Rights.

October 23, 2007 — — That this House calls on the government to announce now that the Canadian combat mission in Kandahar will end in February 2009 in order to facilitate a replacement, and begin discussions with NATO and the Government of Afghanistan on what non-combat role Canada can play afterwards to aid in the reconstruction of Afghanistan.

October 23, 2007 — — That this House calls upon the government to recognize that any shortfall in meeting our 2012 Kyoto commitments would be a result of their decision to kill the previous government’s innovative Project Green plan, followed by 18 months of inaction, and the government must replace its weak approach with real action to create the momentum required for Canada to catch-up in the second phase of Kyoto.

October 23, 2007 — — That this House calls on the government to end 18 months of inaction in the fight against poverty in Canada by building on the good work of the previous Liberal government that funded such initiatives as the Canada Child Tax Benefit, affordable housing, literacy, the Supporting Communities Partnership Initiative (SCPI) and the Working Income Tax Benefit.

October 23, 2007 — — That, in the opinion of this House, the government should bring forward legislation to implement the improvements to the Youth Criminal Justice Act recommended by the Honourable D. Merlin Nunn in his report of December 5, 2006, where those proposals fall within federal jurisdiction, and with particular focus on those proposals that ensure that repeat and violent young offenders can be detained pending prosecution.

October 24, 2007 — — That, in the opinion of the House, Canada has to rebalance the mission in Afghanistan and immediately notify its NATO allies that the current mission will end in February 2009.

October 24, 2007 — — That the House reiterate how important it is for Canada to do everything in its power to meet its international commitments under the Kyoto Protocol, in particular by setting absolute greenhouse gas reduction targets to allow for a carbon exchange to be established in Montréal and by adopting a territorial approach.

October 24, 2007 — — That, in the opinion of the House, the government should immediately put forward tangible measures, notably tax measures, to help those workers, businesses and regions affected by the crisis in the forestry and manufacturing sectors.

November 1, 2007 — — That, in the opinion of the House, the government should implement, among others, the following measures to fight crime more effectively and make our communities safer:

1) abolish accelerated parole reviews, which make offenders eligible for parole after serving one sixth of their sentence;

2) amend section 127 of the Corrections and Conditional Release Act to end the near-automatic nature of statutory release, and make statutory release subject to the merit principle and to the likelihood of rehabilitation;

3) expand the reverse onus for the proceeds of crime, once the court has made a finding of guilt, to include car theft, charging a criminal interest rate, procuring, robbery, fraud over $5,000, and making counterfeit money;

4) establish a fund to be used by the provinces to train Crown prosecutors specializing in trials relating to street gangs;

5) extend to one year the time limit of warrants obtained in relation to investigations in which tracking is carried out using the global positioning system (GPS), so that such warrants have the same duration as warrants relating to electronic eavesdropping;

6) prohibit the wearing of a symbol, sign or other representation that identifies an individual as a member of a criminal organization that has recognized as such by a court;

7) amend subsection 719(3) of the Criminal Code to provide that time spent in custody may, in all cases, be taken into account only as straight time; and that the term of imprisonment commences on the day on which the person is taken into custody; and

8) increase the budget of the National Crime Prevention Strategy by 5% a year over five years.

November 1, 2007 — — That, in the opinion of the House, any government initiative having a direct impact on Canadian telecommunications policy or Canadian broadcasting policy must be put to a vote in the House before being implemented.

November 1, 2007 — — That, in the opinion of the House, the government should reconsider its decision to close 12 of the 16 Status of Women offices; restore the Court Challenges Program; amend the criteria for the Women’s Program to give groups engaging in research, defending rights or lobbying access to it; enact pay equity legislation; and eliminate the employment insurance provisions that are discriminatory for women, to ensure that the Prime Minister finally lives up to his promise of January 18, 2006, to support the human rights of women and to take concrete steps for Canada to live up to its commitments in this regard.

November 1, 2007 — — That, in the opinion of the House, the government should undertake to make public the nature of discussions and conversations between Canada and officials of the Global Nuclear Energy Partnership in order to make the Conservative government’s position on this clear and transparent, and undertake not to join the Global Nuclear Energy Partnership without a favourable vote in the House of Commons.

November 1, 2007 — — That, in the opinion of the House, the government of Canada invite countries to step up negotiations on post-Kyoto as part of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change Conference of the Parties to be held in Bali in early December, and that it should make a commitment to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 25% compared to 1990 levels by 2020.

November 1, 2007 — — That, in the opinion of the House, the government should give the Royal Recommendation to Bill C-269 in order to allow parliamentarians to vote democratically on the motion at third reading of this bill.

November 1, 2007 — — That the House urge the Governor in Council to obtain by means of a referendum, pursuant to section 3 of the Referendum Act, the opinion of the electors of Canada on whether the Senate should be abolished; and, that the referendum be held no later that October 19, 2009.

December 4, 2007 — — That, in the opinion of the House, the government should introduce specific measures, based on the comprehensive Liberal plan, to achieve, over the next five years, a 30% reduction in the number of Canadians living below the poverty line, including a 50% reduction in child poverty.

December 4, 2007 — — That, in the opinion of the House, the government should stand consistently against the death penalty as a matter of principle, both in Canada and around the world.

December 4, 2007 — — That, in the opinion of the House, the circumstances facing Canadian livestock producers are sufficiently serious as to constitute a crisis to which the government must respond in a tangible way, beyond existing programs, before the end of this year.

December 4, 2007 — — That, in the opinion of the House, the government, in contrast to previous Liberal governments, is demonstrating a disappointing lack of international leadership, especially with regard to, but not limited to, climate change, Darfur, aid to Africa, the death penalty, its selective approach to human rights and its failure to understand the Geneva Convention.

December 4, 2007 — — That the House call upon the government to bring forward without delay constructive measures similar to those put forward by previous Liberal governments to address Canada`s growing economic vulnerabilities in areas including, but not limited to, livestock, forestry, automobiles, manufacturing, exports and tourism.

December 4, 2007 — — That, building on the Liberal “New Deal for Cities and Communities”, the House urge the government to provide immediate and significant incremental funding to address the growing crisis in our nation's infrastructure.

December 4, 2007 — — That the House call on the government to recognize the immediate and critical need to prevent the global climate from warming by more than 2°C; and to that end, further call on the government to follow the leadership of previous Liberal governments by accepting binding, absolute greenhouse gas limits at the upcoming United Nations Climate Conference in Bali.

December 4, 2007 — — That, in the opinioin of the House, the government should commit to extending by five years the Official Languages Action Plan by at least renewing all investments included in the 2003-2008 action plan, with cost of living adjustment, and by making new investments in the fields of culture, status of women, seniors, youth and international affairs.

January 29, 2008 — — That this House endorse the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples as adopted by the United Nations General Assembly on September 13, 2007, and call upon the Parliament and government of Canada to implement fully the standards contained therein.

Ways and Means

No. 6 — February 11, 2008 — — Consideration of a Ways and Means motion, — That this House approve in general the budgetary policy of the government.

Budget presentation — Tuesday, February 26, 2008, at 4:00 p.m.

Budget debate — maximum of 4 days, pursuant to Standing Order 84(2).

Wednesday, February 27, 2008 — 1st day.

Thursday, February 28, 2008 — 2nd day.

Government Bills (Commons)

C-4 — October 26, 2007 — — Second reading and reference to the Standing Committee on Transport, Infrastructure and Communities of Bill C-4, An Act to amend the Pilotage Act.

C-5^R — December 12, 2007 — — Consideration at report stage of Bill C-5, An Act respecting civil liability and compensation for damage in case of a nuclear incident, as reported by the Standing Committee on Natural Resources without amendment.

Committee Report — presented on Wednesday, December 12, 2007, Sessional Paper No. 8510-392-35.

Report Stage motions — see “Report Stage of Bills” in today's Notice Paper.

C-7^R — November 2, 2007 — Resuming consideration of the motion of , seconded by , — That Bill C-7, An Act to amend the Aeronautics Act and to make consequential amendments to other Acts, be now read a third time and do pass;

And of the amendment of , seconded by , — That the motion be amended by deleting all the words after the word "That" and substituting the following:

“Bill C-7, An Act to amend the Aeronautics Act and to make consequential amendments to other Acts, be not now read a third time but that it be read a third time this day six months hence.”.

C-13 — February 6, 2008 — — Resuming consideration of the amendments made by the Senate to Bill C-13, An Act to amend the Criminal Code (criminal procedure, language of the accused, sentencing and other amendments).

Senate Message — see Journals of Tuesday, January 29, 2008.

Text of motion — see “Motions Respecting Senate Amendments to Bills” in today’s Notice Paper.

C-14 — November 20, 2007 — Resuming consideration of the motion of , seconded by , — That Bill C-14, An Act to amend the Canada Post Corporation Act, be now read a second time and referred to the Standing Committee on Transport, Infrastructure and Communities.

C-16^R — December 10, 2007 — — Consideration at report stage of Bill C-16, An Act to amend the Canada Elections Act (expanded voting opportunities) and to make a consequential amendment to the Referendum Act, as reported by the Standing Committee on Procedure and House Affairs with amendments.

Committee Report — presented on Monday, December 10, 2007, Sessional Paper No. 8510-392-28.

C-19 — November 16, 2007 — Resuming consideration of the motion of , seconded by , — That Bill C-19, An Act to amend the Constitution Act, 1867 (Senate tenure), be now read a second time and referred to the Standing Committee on Procedure and House Affairs.

C-21 — February 4, 2008 — — Consideration at report stage of Bill C-21, An Act to amend the Canadian Human Rights Act, as reported by the Standing Committee on Aboriginal Affairs and Northern Development with amendments.

Committee Report — presented on Monday, February 4, 2008, Sessional Paper No. 8510-392-45.

C-22^R — February 13, 2008 — Resuming consideration of the motion of , seconded by , — That Bill C-22, An Act to amend the Constitution Act, 1867 (Democratic representation), be now read a second time and referred to the Standing Committee on Procedure and House Affairs;

And of the amendment of , seconded by , — That the motion be amended by deleting all the words after the word "That" and substituting the following:

“this House decline to give second reading to Bill C-22, An Act to amend the Constitution Act, 1867 (Democratic representation), because the Bill would reduce the political weight of the Quebec nation in the House of Commons in an unacceptable manner and does not provide that 25 percent of the elected members of the House of Commons must come from Quebec”.

C-23^R — February 11, 2008 — — Consideration at report stage of Bill C-23, An Act to amend the Canada Marine Act, the Canada Transportation Act, the Pilotage Act and other Acts in consequence, as reported by the Standing Committee on Transport, Infrastructure and Communities with an amendment.

Committee Report — presented on Monday, February 11, 2008, Sessional Paper No. 8510-392-51.

C-24 — November 16, 2007 — — Second reading and reference to the Standing Committee on Justice and Human Rights of Bill C-24, An Act to amend the Criminal Code and the Firearms Act (non-registration of firearms that are neither prohibited nor restricted).

C-26 — February 4, 2008 — Resuming consideration of the motion of , seconded by , — That Bill C-26, An Act to amend the Controlled Drugs and Substances Act and to make consequential amendments to other Acts, be now read a second time and referred to the Standing Committee on Justice and Human Rights.

C-29 — February 14, 2008 — — Resuming consideration at report stage of Bill C-29, An Act to amend the Canada Elections Act (accountability with respect to loans), as deemed reported by a committee with amendments.

Resuming debate on the motions in Group No. 1.

Committee Report — presented on Tuesday, June 19, 2007, Sessional Paper No. 8510-391-289.

Report stage motions — see “Report Stage of Bills” in today's Notice Paper.

C-32^R — November 29, 2007 — — Second reading and reference to the Standing Committee on Fisheries and Oceans of Bill C-32, An Act respecting the sustainable development of Canada's seacoast and inland fisheries.

C-34^R — December 6, 2007 — — Second reading and reference to the Standing Committee on Aboriginal Affairs and Northern Development of Bill C-34, An Act to give effect to the Tsawwassen First Nation Final Agreement and to make consequential amendments to other Acts.

C-36 — December 10, 2007 — — Second reading and reference to the Standing Committee on Transport, Infrastructure and Communities of Bill C-36, An Act to amend the Air Canada Public Participation Act.

C-37 — February 14, 2008 — — On or after Monday, February 25, 2008 — Consideration at report stage of Bill C-37, An Act to amend the Citizenship Act, as reported by the Standing Committee on Citizenship and Immigration with amendments.

Committee Report — presented on Thursday, February 14, 2008, Sessional Paper No. 8510-392-56.

C-39 — February 1, 2008 — Resuming consideration of the motion of , seconded by , — That Bill C-39, An Act to amend the Canada Grain Act, chapter 22 of the Statutes of Canada, 1998 and chapter 25 of the Statutes of Canada, 2004, be now read a second time and referred to the Standing Committee on Agriculture and Agri-Food.

Government Bills (Senate)

Government Business

No. 2 — February 8, 2008 — Resuming consideration of the motion of , seconded by , — That this House take note of the pre-budget consultations undertaken by the Standing Committee on Finance.

No. 4 — February 8, 2008 — — That,

whereas the House recognizes the important contribution and sacrifice of Canadian Forces and Canadian civilian personnel as part of the UN mandated, NATO-led mission deployed in Afghanistan at the request of the democratically elected government of Afghanistan;

whereas, as set out in the Speech from the Throne, the House does not believe that Canada should simply abandon the people of Afghanistan after February 2009; that Canada should build on its accomplishments and shift to accelerate the training of the Afghan army and police so that the government of Afghanistan can defend its own sovereignty and ensure that progress in Afghanistan is not lost and that our international commitments and reputation are upheld;

whereas in February 2002, the government took a decision to deploy 850 troops to Kandahar, the Canadian Forces have served in various capacities and locations in Afghanistan since that time and, on May 17, 2006, the House adopted a motion to support a two year extension of Canada’s deployment in Afghanistan;

whereas the House welcomes the Report of the Independent Panel on Canada’s Future Role in Afghanistan, chaired by John Manley, and recognizes the important contribution they have made;

whereas their Report establishes clearly that security is an essential condition of good governance and lasting development and that, for best effect, all three components of a comprehensive strategy — military, diplomatic and development — need to reinforce each other;

whereas the government accepts the analysis and recommendations of the Panel and is committed to taking action, including revamping Canada’s reconstruction and development efforts to give priority to direct, bilateral project assistance that addresses the immediate, practical needs of the Afghan people, especially in Kandahar province, as well as effective multi-year aid commitments with concrete objectives and assessments, and, further, to assert strong Canadian leadership to promote better coordination of the overall effort in Afghanistan by the international community, and, Afghan authorities;

whereas the results of progress in Afghanistan, including Canada’s military deployment, will be reviewed in 2011 (by which time the Afghanistan Compact will have concluded) and, in advance, the government will provide to the House an assessment and evaluation of progress, drawing on and consistent with the Panel’s recommendations regarding performance standards, results, benchmarks and timelines; and

whereas the ultimate aim of Canadian policy is to leave Afghanistan to Afghans, in a country that is better governed, more peaceful and more secure;

therefore, the House supports the continuation of Canada’s current responsibility for security in Kandahar beyond February 2009, to the end of 2011, in a manner fully consistent with the UN mandate on Afghanistan, but with increasing emphasis on training the Afghan National Security Forces expeditiously to take increasing responsibility for security in Kandahar and Afghanistan as a whole so that, as the Afghan National Security Forces gain capability, Canada’s combat role should be commensurately reduced, on condition that:

(a) Canada secure a partner that will provide a battle group of approximately 1000 to arrive and be operational no later than February 2009, to expand International Security Assistance Force’s security coverage in Kandahar;

(b) to better ensure the safety and effectiveness of the Canadian contingent, the government secure medium helicopter lift capacity and high performance Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) for intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance before February 2009.


^R Recommended by the Governor General

House Publications

Orders of the Day

Government Orders

Business of Supply

Ways and Means

Government Bills (Commons)

Government Bills (Senate)

Government Business